Kevin Smith tempts the Silent Bob cult with another four-letter word

If Kevin Smith had a fragrance, it could be called Fantasy for Men. His movies (remember Clerks? Mallrats? Chasing Amy?) have the raunch promise of threesomes, and occasional comic book heroes that teenage boys' dreams are made of. But at their core, Smith's leading men—and women—overflow with the desperate need for honest, raw, romantic love. Smith adds to the annals of dual-gender cinematic wish fulfillment with Zack and Miri Makea Porno, a rom-com about broke barista Zack (Seth Rogen), who convinces equally broke platonic friend and roommate Miri (Elizbeth Banks) that the best way to get out from under is to, well, get on top. On camera. Smells a lot like Kevin Smith.

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When you were writing Zack and Miri, did you watch porn as research?
I've been doing research for this movie since I was 13! The first time I saw a porno film, it captured my imagination because it's this unique medium in which even the least talented of us can be a star.

Porn is pretty funny.
It totally is. It's so over the top. In porn, man, they'll pull off 38 different positions in a 15-minute clip. And it's like, that's way too much work. In order to parody it we had to be even sillier than they are—that's what got us into trouble.

What kind of trouble?
The NPAA gave us an NC-17 rating, but they give you an opportunity to appeal. I successfully argued us down to an R without having to make cuts.

Your characters throw around sex slang like they're reading a deli menu.
That's the tone of my world in real life. That's what people sound like—we talk about sex insanely casually. I put characters up there that I can identify with, and it never occurs to me, like, this is gonna push the envelope. I just want to make movies that I want to see.

Why do you think your films appeal to both sides of the gender divide?
The portrayal of women in most guy films—or "bromantic comedies," or whatever they're calling them—they're like, women are this puzzle that men can never figure out. And to me, women have always just been, you know, guys without dicks. They're not that different from the dudes that I hang out with, or me myself.

And what about Zack and Miri?
It's a chick flick to some degree. No, you know, I won't go that far. It's a date flick. Like you could totally see going with a dude.

Hmm, maybe. But not a first date.
Not a first date? I bet whoever goes to that movie on a first date would totally get laid. There's something about the sexy combo of [Rogen and Banks]. Their lovemaking scene would spark a discussion.

Either that or make both people horribly uncomfortable.
That's true. There might be that place of them watching two people be so into one another and being like, Man, I don't even want to get up to get you popcorn, let alone share a moment that close with you.